Improved mode of loading rifled cannon



Trice.

Nrrnn STATES PATENT IMPROVED IVlODE OF LOADING RIFLED CANNON.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2,329, dated Ap1il3,1F55.

To all whom it may concern.- I fore discharge having the relativeposition Be it known that I, LUTHER HOUGHTON, of shown in Fig. l,aspace, T, being between the the city and county of Philadelphia, andState i bottom of the cavity in the sabot and the base of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and l of the ball. At the moment of explosion theImproved Mode of Loading Ried Cannon; force of the expansive gases will,by acting on and l do hereby declare that the following` is the base ofthe sabot, drive it forward on the afull, clear, and exact descriptionof the same, butt of the ball, and into the grooves of the referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, gun, producing the position relativeto the forming part of this specification, in which- I ball shown inFig. 2 and compressed appear- Figurelisalongitudinal section of an elonance seen in Fig. 3, the projections p filling gated ball with sabot inposition for loading. the grooves of the piece. The ball being thus Fig.2 is a similar section, showing position ,l firmly wedged in the borewill receive the and condition of sabot after receiving the eX- l twistdue to the riliing, and will, when it leaves plosive force of thecharge. Fig. 3 is a sec the gun, preserve this rotation on its majortion on line .r x of Fig. 2, perpendicular to axisin the same manner asthe expanding balls major axis of ball, showing the manner in of smallerfirearms. rlhe end gained by efwhich the sabot is compressed. fectingthis rotation in cannon-balls is well Similar letters denote the sameparts. known and does not here require discussion, The design of myinvention is so to load the province of this specification being to setriled cannon that at the moment of discharge forth the means ofproducing the rotation. the ball shall receive the rotation due to theDisclaiming the sabot as now used, I claim grooves of the piece. as new-The invention consists in loading the ball i For loading riied orgrooved cannon, the with its butt resting in the rim ofa deep sabot, lemployment of a deep sabot at the base of the caliber of the piece, aspace being left bethe projectile, so as to be driven thereon and tweenthe base of the ball and the bottom of into the grooves of the gun atthe moment of the cavity in the sabot to admit of the sabot dischargefor rendering said grooves effective being driven forward by thedischarge to ili in producing the rotation of the projectile, as thegrooves of the gun and firmly hold the ball. specified.

The operation will be fully understood from In testimony whereof Ihavehereunto signed the following description and reference to the l myname before two subscribing witnesses. annexed drawings.

A is an elongated ball, the base B of which LUI HER HOUGHTON rests inthe rim R of a sabot, S, the caliber of Titnessess the piece, the balland sabot being` driven home JOHN L. SMITH, by a rammer, as shown in redlines, and be- Jas. D. CLARY.

